Weekly Deals March 25 to 31, 2014

Posted on March 25, 2014 by mauistamper

This week’s deals are top shelf!! Core’dinations paper – in assortments – is a MUST HAVE, and I have used every design in the Soho Subway AND the This and That Epic Day DSP packs – they’re that good!If you live on Maui and have an order under $70 I’ll be glad to place your order as an add-on to mine to keep your shipping costs down. I’ll be ordering on Sunday – let me know if you’d like to join me.

And these digital designs are perfect for spring…get your crafty going!

This is the last week of Sale-a-bration, and the 25th Anniversary “Best of” series is also bowing out on March 31st. Click HERE to see the 25th Anniversary sets; click HERE for the SAB brochure.

You can DIY – Order ONLINE!

Lovely Sale-a-bration

Posted on March 23, 2014 by mauistamper

Time to be honest: I almost didn’t order the You’re Lovely stamp set available through Sale-a-bration 2014. I got hung up on “You’re Lovely”. I mean, really? Who says that? If you know me even a little, you’re probably laughing your head off imagining me saying “You’re lovely” with a straight face.

But of course I did break down and get it, and here’s what I did:

Stamps: You’re Lovely and TBA*
Color Palette: Crisp Cantaloupe, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla
Accessories: Soho Subway DSP, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Stampin’ Write markers, Scallops TIEF, Deco labels framelits and the Big Shot, Stampin’ Dimensionals

*The “TBA” part is one of my Lazy Stamper tricks. I keep a stash of cards with no sentiment. When I get caught short on time (or more likely, last-minute-forgetful) I can run through my stash, quickly add the appropriate sentiment – ie “sorry I forgot your birthday again” – and off we go.

I used a marker this time to color in the image – usually I choose the Aqua Painter because it seems to give me more control, but I was feeling daring.

I’m glad I ordered this stamp set!

This is the last week for Sale-a-bration. It officially ends on March 31st, and in Hawaii it ends at 7:50pm when you account for the time difference. If you haven’t placed an order yet, you’ve got a week to put it together and choose your free product – click HERE to see the whole SAB brochure.

There’s one other thing to consider. During Sale-a-bration, Stampin’ Up! sweetens the pot when you choose to become a demonstrator. The cost is still $99, but you’ll choose extra product – a total of $150 worth of product, to be precise. Once you’re a demonstrator, you’ll have access to All Stampin’ Up!, all the time. This year, new demonstrators even get a free convention registration – and I can guarantee you’ll have a good time! There’s no financial obligation besides purchasing the kit and the kit is made up of items you choose – the product is completely up to you. And no matter where you live, you’ll become a Maui Stamper!

Becoming a demonstrator provides an immediate 20% discount on Stampin’ Up! products. It can be a vehicle for providing extra income for your family, or just enough extra to support your craft habit. There’s no pressure to make it one thing or another – that’s completely up to you.

One of the things that has kept me firmly planted in my Stampin’ Up! experience is the quality of the product and the commitment the company makes to the demonstrators. Our support is outstanding, and I am very proud to be a representative of this company. If you’d like to join me, I’d be honored to tell you more about it. If you’re ready to start now, click HERE! And welcome to the family 🙂

Soft and Subtle Collaged Tags

Posted on March 20, 2014 by mauistamper

I have wonderful neighbors. One of them loves to bake, and she is very generous with her goodies. She knows I love – and therefore have to control – my sweets, so she regularly drops by a little parcel with just a few goodies for Mr. Maui Stamper and me. A couple of weeks ago I decided to make her a little thank you gift:

Stamps: Flower Shop, Fabulous Phrases, Mosaic Madness and the Music Notes Wheel
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Pansy Punch, Corner Rounder, Stampin’ Sponges, Linen Thread, Vintage Buttons

The sponging adds softness and depth and you really can’t over-do it.

I made two of each design and then packaged them up.

There might be a couple more stamps in the background – I lost track. I cut the tags and then started layering images until I was happy. Looking at them now, I think I could add more! When I gave them to my neighbor, I cut twine to size for her to use to tie the tags to her packages.

You can’t go wrong with the Fabulous Phrases stamp set. There are so many choices that I had a hard time narrowing it down, although the width of my tag was a factor.

I wish I would have thought to take a picture of the package of them all together. I used one of our Chevron printed Tag a Bag gift bags with some ribbon and a tag of its own.

Gotta have a Happy Birthday tag to round out the set! It made a small gift with a heartfelt message of appreciation.

Did you appreciate a My Paper Pumpkin kit and wish you had the supplies to make additional projects? Stampin’ Up! announced three new refill items today, and there are also four past issues available for purchase as the full kits – click HERE for details. This offer is available only to CURRENT My Paper Pumpkin subscribers. Not subscriber? That’s easy enough to remedy – click HERE! Please select me – Anne Matasci, zip code 96753 – as your demonstrator. And thanks!

Weekly Deals March 18 to 24, 2014

Posted on March 18, 2014 by mauistamper

The Stampin’ Up! Leprechauns were busy last night and this morning we have a pot o’ gold!

If you haven’t tried the Pewter Embossing powder you are in for a real treat! It’s absolutely gorgeous, with an amazing finish that really adds a touch of luxury to any product.

And all you MDS crafters, here are your specials!

Order ONLINE!

Silly Rabbit….

Posted on March 15, 2014 by mauistamper

Can you stand another box card?

Cheryl and I got together last week to work on samples for our Step Into Spring class – today is the early bird deadline for all you Maui Crafters! We wanted to have an Easter Bunny option and she came up with this Silly Rabbit.

It’s amazing what you can do with a few punches!

Our class is Sunday afternoon, March 30, 2014 at the Kahului Masonic Lodge. Cost is $20 if you register today, $23 if you register tomorrow. All supplies are provided including your very own full box of Glue Dots – and you are going to love using Glue Dots when you put together a Card in a Box! The class projects will feature the Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper.

We’re also making an embellished Tag a Bag box perfectly sized for chocolate eggs or other treats, and a charming single-treat holder made with the Scallop Tag Topper punch:

Here’s the “publicity shot” of all 3 original samples:

I hope you’ll join us!

RemARKably Egg-stra Creative!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by mauistamper

Welcome to the RemARKable Pinworthy Blog tour for March! I’m glad you’ve joined us and I’m sure you’ll be inspired. Let’s dive right in:

Lately I’ve been hooked on the Card-in-a-Box concept. The possibilities are endless, and this particular process really suits my “More is More” mentality – it seems like you can add bits and pieces forever! The colors in the Eastern Elegance Designer Series paper really inspired me.

Stamps: Flower Shop, Petite Petals, Petal Parade, Best of Butterflies and Delightful Dozen
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Smokey Slate, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight and Crushed Curry
Accessories: Eastern Elegance DSP, Pansy and Petite Petals punches, Corner Rounder punch, Little Leaves Sizzlet and the Big Shot, Rhinestone jewels, Simply Scored tool, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Window Sheets

There are lots of ways to assemble this card, but here’s a tip: You need a BRAND NEW, full box of Glue Dots. I use a bamboo BBQ skewer to lift them off the roll and place them on my project. (I use those skewers for tons of things – rolling paper into curls, reaching elusive spots, dabbing Tombo, placing glue dots and jewels – the list is endless. And when it gets all sticky with Tombo the Wonder Adhesive I just pitch it.)

The card folds flat for mailing, too, although with all that extra card stock embellishment, you’re going to need a little extra postage. It’s worth it 🙂

I was on a roll with these colors, so I carried the theme over to a Tag-a-Bag Box. There’s no way this was going in an envelope, so I had more room to play.

Stamps: None
Color Palette: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Smokey Slate, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Big Shot, Spiral Flower Originals Die and Lattice TIEF, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Tag-a-bag Box, Paper lace doily, Eastern Elegance DSP

The doily is cut in half and smooshed (yes, that is the authentic, technical, paper-crafting term for it). I used Sticky Strip to hold it in place under the belly band since it would be sliding back and forth as the box opened and closed. When something Absolutely, Positively has to stick, you need Sticky Strip.

A Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on the Spiral Flower Originals die helps to soften the card stock so it will roll more easily. The Lattice TIEF does an especially good job of this, although I still smoosh the card stock before I roll the flowers.

I also use those odd crafty tweezers that pinch when you let go (instead of having to be squeezed) when I roll up my roses. They make it easy to hold onto the center of the flower while you’re rolling.

These colors make a gorgeous Easter color scheme, and I was delighted to find plastic eggs in Coastal Cabana! Maybe you’ll choose a different DSP, but I hope you’ll have some fun playing with new ideas for Easter this year.

Time to move on and see what Audra has in store. Thanks for stopping by!

(If the link doesn’t work for you, cut and paste this link into a browser window: http://thecraftyyogi.blogspot.com/2014/03/eggstra-creative-ideas-for-easter.html)

Weekly Deals March 11 to 17, 2014

Posted on March 11, 2014 by mauistamper

I certainly hope you’ve got a Big Shot – if you don’t, this is the time to get one!

Are you a digital crafter? There are new releases on MDS for you today, too!

Order ONLINE!

A Home for the Birds

Posted on March 9, 2014 by mauistamper

If you’ve followed me for any time at all, you likely have guessed that I love birds. Their songs wake me in the morning and draw me outside during the day. In the middle of a walk or hike I’ve been known to stop in order to peer into the trees at the sound of a new voice. It shouldn’t be a terrible surprise to learn that I’ve been playing around with the idea of a bird house:

This is my first attempt but I can assure you it’s not my last – I have a lot of ideas in my head! I wanted to see what worked in terms of construction techniques and proportions. I’m not sure I would make another bird house this large, but then again, I surprise myself sometimes 🙂

I used both the Woodgrain Background stamp and the Wood grain TIEF to create, well, wood grain (um, I think that’s a giant DUH.) I used the stamp on the walls of the house, but for the roof I wanted more texture. The Texture Boutique Embossing Machine made short work of adding wood grain texture to my card stock. (I’m sorry to say that this product was available for a limited time, and will not be available again until June 1.) A little sponging helps that texture stand out even more, and also adds dimension to corners and openings.

I added a few of the tiniest butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit to the front, and rolled up a sliver of card stock to create a perch at the front door. (The photo above is just crooked enough to make me a little dizzy!)

I was going for a “climbing vine” look on this side, and if you are an imaginative sort of person perhaps that’s the look you’ll see.

There will be more bird houses! I’ve got a lot of ideas and a few adjustments to try. I would LOVE your constructive feedback and suggestions, so comment away!

Step into Spring

Posted on March 7, 2014 by mauistamper

If you’re a blog subscriber in a cold and snowy place, I’m sorry. What passes for winter here on the Valley Isle was nowhere in sight yesterday, and although the calendar says there are a couple more weeks til it’s official, I’m proclaiming Spring! To celebrate, I’m teaming up with my BFF Cheryl to present a spring paper crafting class:

Sunday, March 30, 2014 1 to 4:30pm
Maui Lodge, 190 W. Kamehameha Avenue, Kahului
Cost: $20 paid by March 15; $23 if paid after that date
Includes: Everything you need to make all 3 projects including your very own full box of Glue Dots! Chocolate egg is included; shreddies and plastic eggs are not 🙂 DSP is Watercolor Wonder from the Occasions catalog but patterns will vary.

We’re really excited about these projects – and we think you will be too! Seating is limited and your payment holds your spot at the craft table, so don’t waste time if you would like to join us.

The card-in-a-box has become my new favorite – there are so many possibilities. Every card comes out differently, even when the same elements are used. We’re offering this floral option as well as a bunny version: